The Japanese rock band Dir en Grey announced on Tuesday that it is canceling its March-April “The STILL RECKLESS Tour” in North America because of current health problems with the band’s vocalist Kyo. Kyo’s doctor had diagnosed him with vocal nodule dysphonia, or nodules on his vocal chords.

The band additionally revealed on Wednesday it is also suspending its March and April headline shows while Kyo undergoes treatment. While Kyo’s condition does not pose any major obstacles to his daily life, Kyo has been asked to limit the use of his voice and to rest so he can recuperate. There is also a possibility that Kyo may have to undergo surgery in the future.

The band posted a message on its website apologizing to fans and and thanking them for their support, saying “To all our fans and affiliates, we are deeply sorry and please understand that this has been a very difficult decision for us as a band. To all our fans, please know that we are always thankful for your continuous support.”

For fans of Japanese band L’Arc~en~Ciel, I can confirm that their new album, titled “Butterfly”, will be released on the 8th of February 2012. A tracklist for the album is also available and can be seen below:

Following on from my previous post on SID’s upcoming single Fuyu no Bench, there is now a longer performance of the song that was performed live recently. It is still not the finished article, but until the PV comes out then it will probably be the best version available.

Yes, as the title says, Visual Kei band SID will be releasing their new single “Fuyu no Bench” on the 28th of December. As a fan of the band I am glad to hear that their next single has come so soon after their previous one (Itsuka), as there was a long break after Ranbu no Melody before Itsuka was released back in September.

In the meantime, for anyone who wants an idea of what the new single will be like, there is currently a 7 second preview clip on Youtube